Knockdown crate.



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KNOGKDOWN CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2o. 1912.

1,041,755. l Patented dat. 22, 1912.

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KNOGKDOWN CRATE.

APPLIOATION FILED 11911.20. 1912.

1,041,755. Patented 001.22, 1912.

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COLUMBIA PLANQQRAPH w.. WASHINGTON. D` E.

i ROY DOUGLASS, OF PIERCEVILLE, KANSAS.

KNOCKDOWN CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 22, 1912.

Y Application md Apri12o, 1912. serial No. 692,011,

.To all whom t may concern: v

Be it known that l, ROY DoUGLAss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Perceville, in the county of Finney and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Crates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in knockdown crates and more particularly to the class known as folding, horizontal and vertical pivot, and my object is to provide a device of Vthis character which may be readily and quickly knocked down and folded into very compact form for shipping and storing purposes.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of means which is adapted to retain and lock the crate in its upright position and also to lock the same in its folded position.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing end walls for the crate, which end walls are formed of hinged sections foldable inwardly, and astill further object resides in the provision of connecting means between said end walls which forms a brace between the same as well as a brace for the bottom of the crate.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision of cleats on the side and bottom edges of the front and rear walls of the crate to form a means forreceiving the bottom and partition wall of when the device is folded.

A still further object of the invention re.'- sides in providing connect-ing rods -between the end walls of the device, which rods are slidably engaged with one another.

Still another object of the invention residesV in providing a device which is eX- tremely simple, yet durable in construction, and one which is very eifective and useful in operation.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists inthe novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a partV of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device in upright position and showing the top thereof raised.

the crate Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and inwhichl and 2 indicate, respectively the front and rear walls of my improved crate, said walls being provided on their lower edges with the inwardly extending longitudinal cleats 3 and are also provided on their side edges with the inwardly facing vertical cleats 4, and hingedly mounted on the rear wall 2 adjacent the lower edge thereof by means of the hinges 5, is a bottom 6, said bottom being adapted to rest on the longitudinal cleats 3 of said front and rear walls when the same is lowered. rlhe end walls 7 and 8 are formed in sections hinged one to the other by means of the hinge members 9 and 10, respectively, said hinge members being mounted on the outer faces of said sections, and the sections of said end walls 7 and 8 are in turn hinged to the vertical cleats 4 of the front and rear walls by means of the hinge members 11, whereby it will be seen that said end walls are adapted to be folded inwardly when the bottom 6 is .not in its lowered position.

The opposed sections of the end walls 7 and 8 have engaged with the lower edges thereof, the outer ends of pairs ofl wires or rods l2 which extend longitudinally of the crate, said wires having their` inner ends looped to form'eyes 13, which eyes slidably receive therethroughthe` body portions of the opposed wires, and thus, the same are slidable one upon the other. When the sections of the end walls are positioned so that the end walls are in perfectposition, the eyes of the opposed wires are adapted to engage one another and limit the further movement of said end walls, at the same time forming a bracing lmeans therefor as well as a bracing means for the bottom 6 whichris adapted to rest on the longitudinal cleats 3. Also hinged with the inner face of the front wall 1, is the inner edge of a .partition wall 14, said wall being foldable against the wall 1, and when brought to its effective posit-ion transversely of the crate, is adapted to be secured by means of a hasp carried on the inner face of the rear wall 2. The hasp 15 is adapted to receive there through, a staple 16, and the wall 14 has pivotally carried thereon, a hook member 17 which is adapted to be engaged with said staple after the hasp has been applied thereon, whereby the wall 14 may be held in its effective position transversely of the crate.

' IIingedly mounted on the upper edge of the rear wall 2 by means of the hinges 18, and adapted to rest on the upper edges of said rear, end and front walls, is a top 19, and secured to the free or outer side edge of said top, are the double or sectional hasps 20. The front wall 1 of the crate is provided with a plurality of projecting staples 21 which are alined horizontally lthereacross,

the outer of the alined staples being adapted to receive in engagement therewith, the lower sections' of the sectional hasps, 20, when the top is moved to its closed position, and slidably disposed through said staples,

, is a sliding rod 22 which is carried in said staples'and adapted to be moved out of engagement with the outer staples to allow the hasps to bel engaged therewith, and when the hasps have been properly engaged with the staples, said rod is slid into engagement with said staples so as to retain the hasps in their eifective positions, whereby; the cover will be retained in its locked position and the sliding rod is also provided with a handle member 23 which forms, in itself, a

hasp adapted to engage an additional staple 24 also mounted on the front face of the front wall 1, and when apin or the like (not shown) is applied to said last referred to staple after the handle hasp 23 has been applied thereto, the sliding rod will be retained in position.

The description of the securing of the hasps to retain'the cover in position is when f the device is set up in operative position, but

i A Ihavealso provided means'fort-he locking of the same when in its knocked down and folded position. In knocking the crate down from its upright position, the cover is firstthrown back over the rear wall 2 and as said top is of the saine dimensions as said-wall, the same will fold downwardly to the lower edge thereof, and the bottom 6 is then folded upwardlyagainst the inner facev of the rear Y wall Y2 between -the bottom cleat 3 and the sideY cleats 4V thereon, itbeing understood that "the partitionwall 14 has; been first thrown to itsinoperative position against the inner face of the frontwall.- The moving of the bottoni 6 and -theY partition wall 14 to these positions, :disposes thevsame out .of the path ofthe end walls, whereupon said end walls may be collapsed by forcing the wires or rods12 to sl ide upon one another completely rest upon one another. The sec-l tional hasps 2O which hang *fromV thefree side edge of the top 19 may then be brought around the cleats 3 on the lower edges of the front and rear walls 1 and'2 until the same engage the outer of the alinement of staples 21, said staple-s being the same ones which are adapted to beengaged by Ysaid hasps when the crate is in upright position, and when said hasps are engaged with these t-he staples in a manner, as heretofore described. Thus, it will be seen that the same hasps that are used for the securing of the device in an upright position are also V used From the foregoing, it will be Vseen that I have provided an improved crate which may be readily and quickly knocked down and folded into very compact form, whereby the quiring any great amount of space. It will be observed that I have providedk a means for locking the crate Vin its upright position, which means is also adapted `to lock the crate in its knocked down and, folded .posi-v tion. It will still further be seen that my device iseXtremely simple, .yet durable. in

and useful in operation.

W hatI claim .is

wall, a rear wall, a top and Vbottom hinged respectively to the upper and lower edges of said rear wall, sectional end wallsadapted kto fold inwardly and means passing under end walls,;said.means preventingV an undue outward motion of said end walls, andalso supporti-ng the bottom of the crate. Y

2. The combination with a crate of the the same.

class described, comprising Vfront and 'rear staples, thesliding rod 22 is engaged with f' Y for securing the crate inv itsfoldedposition.

construction, and one which is very eiective` 1. A folding crate, comprising', afrcnt the bottom of the crate and secured to the 'f f* class described,lcomprising front andV rear walls, atop and -bottom hinged respectivelythe crate and comprising a plurality oflon-V` same inwardly, which action will cause the until the sections of said end walls 7 and 8 Y same may be shipped or stored without re- IV further be seen that I have provided a crate in which the end walls are adaptedtocolf` lapse while the top and bottom thereof fold against Vthe rear wall. Furthermore,- it will swing inwardly, of means for'preventing an undue outward .motion of said end walls,

ends of Vsaid sections being secured Vto the 7. lower edges of the sectionalV end wallsand der the bottom: of the crate and supporting i "3 The Combination wiihfaaaieoithe walls, a top and bottom hinged respectively to the upper and lower edges of said walls, and sectional end walls adapted to swing inwardly, of means for locking said crate when in its upright or its collapsed position, said means comprising a longitudinally slidable rod, U-shaped fasteners adapted to secure said rod upon the outer face of said front wall, sectional hasps secured tothe top of the crate adjacent its free front edge, saidv hasps being formed with slots in their free ends adapted for engagement over said U- shaped fasteners, said longitudinally slidable rod being movable out of engagement with the Ueshaped fasteners which are adapted to secure said hasps, and means for locking said rod in its efective position.

4f. The combination with a crate of the class described, comprising front and rear walls, a t-op and bottom hinged respectively to the upper and lower edges of said rear wall, and sectional end walls adapted to swing inwardly, of means for locking said crate both in its upright and in its collapsed condition, said means comprising a longitudinal rod, U-shaped fasteners carried by the outer face of said front wall and adapted to slidably support said rod thereon, the rod being bent intermediate of its ends to provide a loop adapted to engage with the innermost fasteners to limit the longitudinal movement of the rod, a plurality of sectional hasps secured to the top of the crate adjacent its forward edge, the hasps being formed with longitudinal slots in their outer ends for engagement over the outermost of the aforementioned U-shaped fasteners, said rod being longitudinally movable to disengage the same from the outermost fasteners and means for engagement with the loop of said rod for the purpose of retaining it in its effective position.

5. A folding crate comprising a front Wall, a rear wall, a top and bottom hinged respectively to the upper and lower edges of said rear wall, sectional end walls adapted to swing inwardly and means for limiting the outward motion of said end walls, said means also supporting the bottom of the crate and comprising a plurality of rods formed in sections, the outer ends of said sect-ions being secured to the lower edges of the sectional end walls and the corresponding in ner ends being looped into engagement with each other.

In testimony whereofl hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ROY DOUGLASS.

Witnesses:

W. H. BRENNAMAN, J. H. BoRGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C. 

